Lionsgate, the leading next generation studio, announced today that it will re-team with filmmaker Paul Haggis for his latest feature, the thriller The Next Three Days, an adaptation of the French film Pour Elle. Lionsgate has acquired remake rights from Wild Bunch and Fidelite Films. The Next Three Days will mark the first collaboration between the studio and Haggis since Crash, the Lionsgate release for which Haggis received the 2005 Academy Awards for Best Motion Picture and Best Original Screenplay, and a nomination for Best Director. Haggis will write and direct. Haggis and Michael Nozik will produce through their production entity Highway 61 Films, alongside producers Marc Missonnier and Olivier Delbosc of Fidelite Films. The announcement was made by Joe Drake, Lionsgate President, Motion Picture Group, and Co-Chief Operating Officer.

Principal photography on The Next Three Days is expected to begin in August. Lionsgate President of Motion Picture Production Alli Shearmur and Lionsgate Vice President of Motion Picture Production Wolfgang Hammer will oversee the production for the studio.

Said Shearmur, "We are delighted to welcome the brilliant Paul Haggis back to Lionsgate. As both a writer and director, Paul brings keen insight into the workings of the human animal, and it's going to be a real treat to see what he does with an unpredictable thriller like The Next Three Days."

Commented Haggis, "I'm thrilled to be working with Lionsgate again; they did such a great job distributing Crash. I'm looking forward to exploring the depths of faith and the limits of love."

The deal was negotiated for Lionsgate by Hammer, Robert Melnik, Lionsgate Executive Vice President, Business & Legal Affairs, and Wendy Jaffe, Executive Vice President Business & Legal Affairs, Acquisitions and Co-Productions; by attorney Peter Dekom (of counsel to Weissmann Wolf) and Steven Brookman of CAA, on behalf of Highway 61; and by Agnes Mentre and Peter Grant of Grubman Indursky & Shire, on behalf of Fidelite Films. The project was brought to the attention of Highway 61 by its new head of development, Eugenie Grandval. Paul Haggis and Highway 61 are represented by Risa Gertner and Byrdie Lifson at CAA, and Larry Becsey at IPG.